DETROIT -- If one were to take bets on whose name would be spoken the most Tuesday afternoon during Dave Dombrowski's post-season session with media members, there would have been plenty of candidates.

Jose Valverde and Delmon Young would have been good guesses. They are free agents who will not be pursued by the Tigers. Anibal Sanchez seemed like a likely candidate. The Tigers have interest in re-signing him but know the price could be too high.

How about Miguel Cabrera or Prince Fielder? They are the team's two best offensive players, and both struggled to varying degrees in the postseason. Andy Dirks? Brennan Boesch? Quintin Berry? They are all in the mix in what appears to be an unsettled corner outfielder situation for the Tigers next season.

But the name Dombrowski kept going back to is a relief pitcher who has thrown just eight innings above the Double-A level and has never pitched in the majors.

Bruce Rondon.

It sounds as if the hard-throwing right-hander will get every opportunity to win the job as closer in spring training.

"This guy is a special potential closer with the makeup of a closer," Dombrowski said. "Normally you're not going to thrust that in a young guy's hands and say automatically, 'That's your job,' but it would not surprise me if he earned that job.

"There are not many arms like this. And he cherishes that kind of role."

Rondon throws hard. Like, more than 100-mph hard. He was named the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year for 2012. The fact that the Tigers would consider a 21-year-old with nine Triple-A appearances for the closer's role on a team that just went to the World Series shows how highly they think of him.

"He’s a rare talent," Dombrowski said. "You would not believe the number of clubs that call me about Bruce Rondon."

Rondon was 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA and nine strikeouts in eight innings for Triple-A Toledo late in the 2012 season. He went 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings in Single-A Lakeland to start the season, then went 0-1 with a 0.83 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings for Double-A Erie.

Rondon had 29 saves in 52 appearances at those three levels in 2012.

Of course, the Tigers might go with Joaquin Benoit or Octavio Dotel as their closer, or they could mix in Phil Coke and go with a closer-by-committee approach. It seems unlikely that they would use Al Alburquerque or Brayan Villarreal full-time in that role.

Leyland spoke about Rondon a bit, too, when media members met with him a bit later. He had good things to say about the young right-hander, but also issued a word of caution.

"I'm not putting Rondon at the top of the list," Leyland said. "I'm putting Rondon in the mix, because I don't know what he might do. He might not throw it in the ocean."

Rondon has struggled with control issues in the past. In 2011, he issued 34 walks in 40 innings for Single-A West Michigan. But he cut his walks-per-nine-innings number from 7.6 in 2011 to 4.4 in 2012.

Still, it is worth noting that Rondon is not just a hard-throwing pitcher. He is a closer. He has 65 saves in the minors in the past three seasons. He has extensive experience in that role. Villarreal and Alburquerque do not.

"People don't believe this, but it is true," Dombrowski said. "He averages 100 mph and tops off at 103 and throws his breaking stuff for consistent strikes. We really, really seriously thought of, before the first of September, if we should bring him up and let him join us for the postseason.

"Probably, if I would have known how things were going to go with Valverde at that point, would have done that."

How does Rondon stack up against other young relievers in the game?

"If I had a choice of any young closer in baseball to give an
opportunity to in any organization, it would be him," Dombrowski said. "Now, would be ready? I
don't know that. But he is that good."